Nwankwere Idowu

The insurance industry contributes to the smooth running of the economy. Unfortunately, not every country develops insurance at a high level; that is, the level of insurance penetration is low. This is happening in Nigeria. Therefore, this study aims to establish the effect of competitive positioning on the market share of selected insurance companies in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study adopts a survey research design. A structured instrument was used for data collection using the modified six-point Likert-type scale. The questionnaire was divided into three sections (about respondents’ demographic factors, competitive positioning, and market share). The population was 2,183 management-level employees from the 20 selected insurance companies. The sample size of 507 was determined using stratified random sampling and proportionate method. Test-retest method was used to validate the instrument, while the reliability was determined through internal consistency method. The Cronbach Alpha coefficients ranged from 0.71 to 0.88. Response rate of 86.7% was achieved. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis. Findings reveal that competitive positioning components have a significant effect on market share (Adj.R2 = 0.194, F(5. 434) = 22.097, p < 0.05). The results demonstrate that if all the competitive positioning components were set to zero, the market share of selected insurance companies in Lagos State would be 6.537, which is a positive value. Thus, competitive positioning components significantly affect market share. As a result, this study found that insurers would benefit from increasing their focus on developing the strategic asset and research and development aspects of competitive positioning to expand their market share.

Acknowledgments
The researchers acknowledge the contributions of the anonymous reviewers for the useful comments in making the article better. We acknowledge the management of the University that made it mandatory for the supervisee to publish two articles from their thesis, one in the name of the supervisor as the lead author, while another in the name of the supervisee as the lead author. The research assistants are acknowledged for the cooperation during the field work and the management of the insurance companies engaged for the study. The inputs of the supervisors are greatly acknowledged.

With the proliferation of digital platforms, businesses, including clothing brands, increasingly leverage digital advertising to reach and engage their target audiences. However, limited research explicitly explores its influence on purchasing decisions in Nigeria, particularly among private university students. This research aims to determine the effects of digital advertising on customer purchase decisions for clothing among students. The study surveyed a target population of 450 students randomly selected from four private universities (Covenant University, Bells University of Technology, Crawford University, Crescent University) in Ogun State, Nigeria. The data collected from the field were subjected to analysis using multiple linear regression. The results revealed that digital advertising affects consumer purchase decisions among students of private universities. Specifically, digital advertising has a significantly positive effect on customer awareness (adj. R2 = 0.220, F (4, 416) = 30.294, p < 0.05); customer interest (adj. R2 = 0.112, F (4, 416) = 14.024, p < 0.05), and customer purchase desire (adj. R2 = 0.102, F (4, 416) = 12.758, p < 0.05). Thus, this study recommends that any clothing businesses targeting students for sales growth and sustainability in Nigerian universities should leverage digital advertising. The result further noted the need to focus on variables such as search engine optimization, social media, and digital influencers to boost customer purchase decisions.